342 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



great light does not appear so clearly as that zeal in disseminating 

 it began to appear alter so great progress had been made in manu- 

 factures as induced a feeling of security against all competition. 

 If any doubt whether we are quite ready for it, let them ask the 

 farmers about Lewiston, Saco, or some other centre of industries, 

 if they would prefer to direct their energies to the growth of 

 agricultural products for the British markets, and take for pay 

 so much manufactured cotton or iron as would remain after all 

 charges attending shipment and transportation both ways were 

 paid for out of the proceeds of sale there! Free trade is delightful 

 in theory, and it would be equally expedient in practice provided 

 that nothing was out of joint anywhere. If all men were in place, 

 and what they ought to be, making the Golden Rule their uniform 

 rule of action, tariffs would fade out of existence as naturally and 

 inevitably as would the War Department as a branch of Govern- 

 ment were the Gospel proclamation of " Peace on earth and good 

 will to men" heartily accepted by all. But as things are, it is 

 possible that both may be of service for a while longer. 



To return for a moment to ihe subject of leaving the farm for 

 other avocations. Let me not be misunderstood. I have spoken 

 of the benefits arising to the agricultural community from abun- 

 dant markets, and of the evils of too great competition. What is 

 not to be regretted is, for a proper number of food pi*oducers to 

 enter other pursuits where they become consumers of food which 

 they pay for by well directed, productive labor, so that the buyer 

 and the seller, and the community at large are actually richer and 

 better served than if both remained producers of food. I am not 

 blind to the fact that those who thus leave the farm are not the 

 only ones who leave it. What is to be deplored, and deeply de- 

 plored, and what we are bound to combat by all proper means, to 

 the full extent of our ability is, the sad delusion which leads too 

 many young men to abandon the farm in the false and cheating 

 hope of amassing wealth or fame without labor, or with less labor 

 than the farm demands. In an age like this when fortunes are 

 sometimes, and oftener than formerly, accumulated, as it were, 

 by a throw of the die, — we cannot be surprised, however deeply 

 we may regret the fact, that some should be led astray by the 

 brilliant but delusive hald which surrounds, and magnifies, and 

 multiplies these really isolated and comparatively very rare cases. 

 They see the dazzling, gaudy side of the few, so called, suc- 

 cesses. They see not that for svery one such there are scores, 



